The School to Prison Pipeline

1. THE SCHOOL TO
PRISON
PIPELINE
A Sociological Examination of the Relationship
Between School Suspension and Incarceration

2. SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE: A SOCIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF
THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCHOOL SUSPENSION AND
INCARCERATION
MID-AMERICA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
CASSANDRA THROWER
STACY BURNS
May 27, 2019
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3. The School
to Prison
Pipeline
In this presentation, we will
attempt to answer the
following questions:
• What is the School to Prison Pipeline?
• Why is the School to Prison Pipeline an issue?
• Who is affected by the School to Prison Pipeline?
• When does the School to Prison Pipeline start?
• Where is the School to Prison Pipeline most
prevalent?
• How can we stop or curtail the School to Prison
Pipeline?
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4. What
is the school to prison pipeline?
A nation-wide trend of pushing
disadvantaged children from
public schools into the juvenile
and criminal justice systems by
using zero-tolerance policies and
an increased law enforcement
presence in K-12 schools.
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5. Zero-
Tolerance
Policies:
strict enforcement of
regulations and bans against
undesirable behaviors or
possession of items
(wikipeadia.com)
Image:
https://www.papermasters.com/zero-
tolerance-policy.html
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6. Increased Law
Enforcement
Presence:
Also known as School Resource
Officers (SRO), they are sworn law
enforcement officers responsible for
safety and crime prevention in K-12
schools
(www.cops.usdoj.gov)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p
HD2RQOKaLM
Beyond the Badge: Profile of a
School Resource Officer
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7. Why
is the School to Prison
Pipeline an issue?
Zero-tolerance policies and increased law enforcement
presence in schools have the tendency to “criminalize”
student misbehavior. Offenses such as truancy, drug
usage, fighting, dress code violations and general
insubordination may fall into this category. Research
indicates minority, disabled, and socio-economically
disadvantaged students are disproportionately accused
of these offenses, and as a result are introduced to the
criminal justice system. These students are vulnerable
to being labeled as troubled children, dropping out of
school, and missing out on academic opportunities.
The Federal government has grown concerned about
the matter. The US Department of Education and the
Department of Justice have conducted intense research
(www.corrections.com).
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8. US
Department of
Education
and
Department of
Justice
Collaboration
In 2014, the US Departments of Education and Justice
released a school discipline resource package containing
the following:
• Dear Colleague guidance letter on civil rights and
discipline,
• Guiding Principles document drawing from emerging
research and best practices;
• Directory of Federal School Climate and Discipline
Resources indexing the extensive federal technical
assistance and other resources; and
• Compendium of School Discipline Laws and
Regulations, an online catalogue of the laws and
regulations related to school discipline in each of the 50
states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-departments-
education-and-justice-release-school-discipline-guidance-
package-
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9. Who
is affected by the school to
prison pipeline?
As we discussed under the why, research
indicates minority, disabled, and socio-
economically disadvantaged students are
disproportionately accused of committing
offenses managed under zero-tolerance
policies, and as a result are introduced to the
juvenile and criminal justice systems.
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10. US Department of
Education Office of
Civil Rights data on
students suspended
and expelled
(2011-2012)
https://ocrdata.ed.gov/downloads/cr
dc-school-discipline-snapshot.pdf
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11. US Department of
Education Office of
Civil Rights data on
students suspended
and expelled
(2011-2012)
https://ocrdata.ed.gov/downloads/crdc-
school-discipline-snapshot.pdf
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13. When
does the school to prison
pipeline start?
• Surprisingly, the prison to pipeline starts in
preschool. Preschoolers are being suspended and
expelled at alarming rates.
• Preschoolers are expelled at three times the rate of
children in K-12 schools
• Boys are four times as likely to be suspended as girls
• African American children are expelled almost twice
as often as Latino and white children and more than
five times as often as Asian American children.
(https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/publication/understanding-
eliminating-expulsion-early-childhood-programs)
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14. US Department of
Education Office of
Civil Rights data on
preschoolers
suspended
(2011-2012)
https://ocrdata.ed.gov/downloads/cr
dc-school-discipline-snapshot.pdf
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16. Where
is the school to prison
pipeline most prevalent
• Zero-tolerance policies are used to great effect in the
Southern states.
• Since 2012, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has
opened investigations into school districts in Texas,
Tennessee, Mississippi and Missouri, uncovering
systems using zero-tolerance policies to violate the
constitutional rights of children registered in their
district
• Two school districts, one in Tennessee and the other
in Mississippi, have entered settlement agreements
with the DOJ to implement changes in school
discipline policies.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/justice-
department-probes-another-school-to-prison-pipeline/
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18. How
can we stop or curtail the
school to prison pipeline?
• School districts must create an environment that can
initiate change and assist with inappropriate
behaviors. Educate and train teachers on how to
work with challenging students.
• Ensure proper and clear expectations are in place to
address student misbehaviors and offenses. Don’t
be afraid to hold students accountable but use
suspension and expulsion as a last resort.
• Stop zero-tolerance policies. Create standards and
safeguards to promote fairness and equity for all
students, regardless of race, disability or
socioeconomic status.
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20. References
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. (last edited May 8, 2019). Zero-Tolerance Schools. Retrieved May 27, 2019
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_tolerance_%28schools%29
Department of Justice, COPS. Supporting Safe Schools. Retrieved May 27, 2019 from
https://cops.usdoj.gov/supportingsafeschools
Hulvat, Jennifer. (February 24, 2014). Corrections.com. The School to Prison Pipeline Issue. Retrieved from
http://www.corrections.com/news/article/34957-the-school-to-prison-pipeline-issue
ACLU.com. Juvenile Justice Issues. School to Prison Pipeline. Retrieved May 27, 2019
from https://www.aclu.org/issues/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline
Reese, Frederick. (September 22, 2014). MPN News.com. Who’s Getting Caught in the School to Prison Pipeline?
And Why? Retrieved from https://www.mintpressnews.com/whos-getting-caught-school-prison
pipeline/196812/
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21. References
Malik, Rasheed. (November 6, 2017). Center for American Progress, New Data Reveals 250 Preschoolers are
Suspended or Expelled Every Day. Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early
childhood/news/2017/11/06/442280/new-data-reveal-250-preschoolers-suspended-expelled-every-day/
US Department of Health and Human Services. (last updated April 4, 2019). Understanding and Eliminating
Expulsion in Early Childhood Program. Retrieved from
https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/publication/understanding-eliminating-expulsion-early-childhood-programs
US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. Issue 1, March 2014 Civil Rights Data Collection Data
Snapshot: School Discipline. https://ocrdata.ed.gov/downloads/crdc-school-discipline-snapshot.pdf
Childress, Sarah. (April 1, 2015). Frontline: Justice Department Probes Another “School to Prison Pipeline”.
Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/justice-department-probes-another-school-to
prison-pipeline/
US Department of Education. (last updated July 11, 2016). Laws & Guidance School Climate and Discipline:
Know the Data. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/school-discipline/data.html
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22. References
US Department of Education. (January 8, 2014). Archived Information US Departments of Education and Justice
Release School Discipline Guidance Package to Enhance School Climate and to Improve Scholl Discipline
Policies/Practices. Retrieved from https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-departments-education
and-justice-release-school-discipline-guidance-package-
Flannery, Mary Ellen. (January 5, 2015). NEA Today, The School to Prison Pipeline: Time to Shut it Down.
Retrieved from http://neatoday.org/2015/01/05/school-prison-pipeline-time-shut/
MST Services. (September 18, 2018) How Can We stop the School to Prison Pipeline. Retrieved from
http://info.mstservices.com/blog/can-we-stop-the-school-to-prison-pipeline
NAACP Bakersfield. Stop the School to Prison Pipeline. Retrieved May 27, 2019 from
http://www.naacpbakersfield.com/stop-the-school-to-prison-pipeline.html
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